Follow us on Social Media

YouTube videos have popped up for Forza Horizon 2‘s Xbox One and Xbox 360 versions. Using videos by users Spec Tob and Squirrel, I’ve screen capped images from sections of each video that are in a similar or identical location. To be clear, these screenshots are grabbed from YouTube videos, which are subject to compression. Nonetheless, you can get a taste for the graphical differences between both versions.

What I noticed from skimming through the 55 minutes of Xbox 360 video is that both versions are as different as I suspected. The draw distance and density of foliage is much higher on Xbox One, in addition to shadows, lighting, and overall clarity being worse on the Xbox 360 version. There are even differences in presentation. The introduction starts you off on two opposite sides of a forked road that eventually meet up, with different text. Once you arrive at your first destination, the Xbox 360 version gives you a graphical interface to choose your first car from, while the Xbox One version shows its confidence by letting you pick a car in 3D. This is just one of many areas of contrast resulting from two different development teams handling each game (Sumo Digital and Playground Games).

Nonetheless, I’m shocked at how good the Xbox 360 version looks given its ancient specs. Sumo Digital has done a fantastic job, and Xbox 360 only owners should be happy with their purchase as it’s definitely one of the best-looking racing games on the platform. However, if you are someone who values graphics and wants the most from your games, this may be a good time to invest in next-gen. After playing the game for an average of 3 hours per night during the past week and a half, I can say that to me this is a system seller.

Without any more interruption, below are the comparison screenshots.

Click to enlarge.

Click to enlarge.

Click to enlarge.

Click to enlarge.

Click to enlarge.

If you would like to see both versions in action, head over to the videos uploaded by Spec Tob and Squirrel. Soon, there should be direct feed videos available, as well as some better comparison images, but hopefully this suffices for now.

Forza Horizon 2 will be available on Xbox One and Xbox 360 on Tuesday, September 30th. Be sure to check out our review here.